Keep Your Eyes on the PromisER

This photo was taken before our list trip to Arizona (Dec '11)

We have been wanting to write this update for some time now but have encountered a lot of transition and change in the new year. As I (Casey) transition back into full-time ministry with Greek InterVarsity and Steve is slowly walking down this unknown road of recovery, we have been busy- to say the least! As we mentioned in our last blog, starting the new year was challenging as our doctor told us Steve has started a 6 month journey of finding the right amounts and combinations of medication and treatments that will hopefully bring about his full healing. Steve has been on this new medication for close to 20 days and we have noticed some changes: both good and hard. Steve has been noticing less severe pain at different times throughout the day and has even ventured to try to do some yoga and stretches! Along with these small signs of improvement we have also noticed some hard side effects involving his overall concentration and awareness. This has been a new adjustment but God is showing us ways to get the support we need to work together through the hard side effects and to rejoice in the positive changes. As this has seemed a slow process and we have felt unsure venturing into a new year but not seeing any real change in our situation and circumstances (still waiting on SSI Insurance to approve or deny us) we cried out to the Lord. We feel often as lonely travelers on a difficult journey that has no end in sight but the Lord shouted at us: get your eyes off the road! Get your eyes off of your circumstances and what you do or don't see and put them on me. Yes, the Lord wants us to cling to His promises of healing but He does not want us to focus on the promises and miss out on the PromisER- Him! We went to church last week and in the sermon's notes God whispered to us: "It wont happen all at one. The fulfillment of my promise will be a process." 

The point of this message that rocked us was that Abram's role (see Genesis 15:1-21) and responcibility is to believe and trust God, his nature and action, to fulfill His promise. We cannot do it on our own! The Lord is fighting for us and walks with us through this fiery affliction! Steve and I have faith, not in the promises, but in the PromisER. The same God that made a covenant with Abram in Genesis that demonstrated his faithfulness that if the promise He spoke to Abram did not come to pass then he'd be 'cut in half' as the cattle had been! Nothing is impossible for the Lord- and when we put our eyes on Him we can't help but rejoice because He is so good. When we place Him in the center of everything, suddenly peace overwhelms us- even as we may still be weary travelers on a steep road or in a pain-filled valley, He produces an unshakable confidence in us that He is there and will work all the details out for our good and His glory, amen!

"Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life," Philippians 4:7 msg.

Steve will be returning to the Mayo clinic in 3 weeks- please pray the mediciation continues to produces positive effects- Steve's pain decreases. Please also pray for us as we cope with the negative side effects of the medication. Lastly, pray that our meeting this Friday around disability coverage would produce some financial help for Steve to continue to have the time and space to recover.

Thank you for your prayers and we pray you will look to the PromisER today!

Peace & Love,

Casey & Steve Groff

Starting 2012 in a New Way

Steve with the prayer quilt an amazing church made for him!

Happy New Year!

Steve and I, although exhautsed from our short and fast trip to the Mayo Clinic this week have been overwhlemed by God's blessings, provision, care for us and overall character as we enter into 2012. We spent a majority of our car ride to the clinic sharing stories of God's miraculous provision for us and praising Him for all that He has done in 2011 in us and through us. In fact we got to spend much of December sharing our stories and testimonies to family, friends and strangers to encourage them and remind them of God's goodness. We are so excited to report a couple of 'new things' as we enter into this new year. First, we cried out to the Lord and shared with all of you our desperation as we looked to the month of December and saw a lot of new difficulties ahead (i.e. Steve's disability claim exhausted, my work fundraising deadline and returning to the Mayo clinic for a trip we did not even understand after our Thanksgiving trip). In this past month we have received so much love, encouragement and support from so many of you, even some we have never met before and we thank God that He uses people to be vessels of His love here on earth! In fact, Steve and I are starting 2012 with all hospital bills in our possession for 2011 paid off in full! Praise God! We had to start this update by praising Him not only for His abundant gifts and blessings but for what this shows all of us about His character- that God is good to us all of the time! Even when we don't see it, feel it, or  understand it- He cares so lovingly for His children.

The Trip....

We made it to the clinic in time for Steve's appointment and were surprised to receive such a detailed plan for a hopefully full recovery. The headache specialist/neurologist we saw confirmed the diagnosis we received in November but added a lot of detail and information to it! Steve received 2 shots in his head (steroid/nerve blocker shots) and left with a lot of medication to treat and prevent his head and neck pain. Although this doctor said the diagnosis and what he is now treating Steve for does not explain all of Steve's symptoms or the size/shape of the lesions on Steve's brain, he is hopeful that Steve can be out of pain or at least on the path towards no pain in a matter of months. We left with new medications, dietary restrictions and appointments scheduled again in 6 weeks for both follow-up, a course of 30 shots (please pray insurance approves these!) and bio-feedback testing. As you can imagine we were relieved and excited to have a course of action but also a little too aware of the doctor's claim that in 6 months Steve should be on a regular course of medication that should eventually treat his pain.

What now?

We have some very specific prayer requests that we are ending this update with:

1.) That Steve's body responds to this new medication/treatment and we would not have to continue changing new medication (also for the detox off of current pain meds Steve will have to go through if these meds begin to reduce his pain)

2.) The new medication does not cause too severe of side effects including extreme weight loss

3.) Insurance: Please pray that insurance approves this shot therapy as it has very successful results

4.) Disability Insurance: Please pray that God directs us in this long process as we apply/ seek financial coverage for Steve as he recovers (that he would be free to simply recover and not have to go back to work as he goes through this process).

5.) The next 6 weeks: Please pray for us- strength, endurance and fresh faith as the last 24 hours have been very hard on us coming home and as Steve goes off of caffeine and onto new meds/ Please also pray for the details for our next trip back to the clinic in 6 weeks...

We know that was A LOT of information but we are constantly asked for more details so we figured we'd hold nothing back this time! Thanks again for following this blog and keeping  up to date with prayer requests for us- we could not have made it to the place we are now without the community God has blessed us with over these past 15 months....

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland," Isaiah 43:19.

Praying you will be blessed abundantly in 2012!

Love,

Casey & Steve Groff